Toner Pirates are after you!
By Chris Solberg

If you’re an office supplies purchaser, you may have heard this term. A “Toner Pirate” (aka “Toner Phoner”) will typically telephone a small business or other office and use deception to con the organization into ordering toner from the scam artists — at exorbitant prices.

We’ve had two customers recently approached by this scam. In one case, the scam artist called to offer a quote on toner cartridges. The customer was told the price and declined to place an order. However, a few days later an overpriced toner (about double what they paid from us) showed up anyway, and a bill was sent to the accounting department. Luckily, the accounting department recognized the bill was not legitimate and refused to pay. Without proper controls, the bill would have been paid and company would have continued receiving overpriced toner cartridges.

As an example the Iowa Attorney General’s office posted a press release detailing one standard con routine:

Corporate Office Supply used a classic “price-increase pitch,” which involves several elements. An initial phone call to the targeted office creates the false impression that the caller represents the office’s usual toner supplier. The caller asks for the model number of the copier. The caller then says that the price of toner for that model is going up sharply — but that the supplier has saved some back at the old, lower price if the business will only make a quick order. If victims place an order, they may learn later that the caller actually did not represent the business’s regular supplier, that there was no price increase, that the so-called “current” charge is highly inflated, and that their new bill for toner is up to four times higher than a typical price.

The suit alleges that Corporate Office Supply victims “may not realize that their supply line has been commandeered by a ‘toner pirate’ and may pay grossly inflated toner prices to COS on a continuing basis.”

The lawsuit states that a wide range of offices are targeted by such schemes, including small businesses and professional offices, churches and synagogues, charities, associations, and government offices.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office offers the following tips to avoid becoming victims of such scams:

Train everyone who answers the phone to recognize phony office supply “pitches.”

Instruct employees not to provide information to unfamiliar callers about office copiers or other supply needs and arrangements. Don’t give names of office managers or persons responsible for purchasing (toner pirates may mention those names in a later call.)

Designate one person to be in charge of or oversee ordering and paying bills. Always review invoices and payments to avoid phony bills or office supply scams.

If a “toner pirate” or office supply scam deceives the office into placing an order, do not accept the shipment or pay the bill. Instead, report the incident to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division

Be very careful with non-local companies that call you out of the blue. Be ESPECIALLY wary of companies telemarketing from New York or California, as many toner scams seem to originate from these locations.

When you buy from One Source Imaging:
* We keep a record of what equipment you have;
* We track what supplies you’ve purchased;
* We will provide our prices in writing.

To protect yourself, ensure that people answering the phone realize that their are many of these scam outfits calling businesses just like yours every day. Awareness just may save you thousands of dollars!